The Canal
by Lolita Lolly Lips
Summary: An ill fated love affair between the canal boatman and the publican's younger brother. Based on a true story.


**Title: **The Canal

**Summary: **An ill fated love affair between the canal boatman and the publican's younger brother.

**A/N: **After reading something amazing at like, 12:00am, I became very, _very _inspired. Based on a true story.

**Disclaimer: **As if I own Death Note! Does anyone really think I could write anything Death Note related that doesn't have some sort of Yaoi involved?

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Mello's boat chugged slowly into the small, Winchester town. This was his first trip. Formally an agricultural worker, he had been wooed onto the canal by the prospect of much larger wages.

His thoughts turned to Halle, his woman of long standing, and the two beautiful daughters that she had bared him. They stayed behind in the small Nottinghamshire cottage that they rented, but soon Mello would probably bring them onto the boat to live and work beside him.

Mello turned his attention now to mooring the heavy narrow boat. Probably because his thoughts were still on precious mental photographs of his family, he jumped awkwardly onto the towpath, fell and twisted his ankle. Pain shot up his leg. Gritting his teeth, he righted himself and limped painfully on with his task.

A soft, effeminate voice from behind him said, "Excuse me, sir. Are you alright?"

As much as the shock of being called "Sir", the discovery that someone had witnessed his fall made him quickly wheel round to see the concerned, grey eyes and pale face of a small boy. The sudden action caused him to stagger back on his injured leg, releasing the pain again.

Small, pale hands reached out and steadied him. "You lean on me, sir. My older brother, Matt owns a public house on the canal side. I'll soon have your foot bandaged."

Soon, the bemused Mello was supping a pint of ale as the pale, capable hands of Near, this was the young boy's name, bandaged his injured foot.

Mello was an incredibly tough man. Hardened by years of hard work and rough living, but as he watched Near tending him and as he listened intently as the small boy told of his love of the canal, how he loved nothing more than to paint pictures of passing narrow boats, he felt his heart begin to melt.

Near had married friends, Misa and Light, who lived nearby. They let him use their cellar where he was able to paint far from the hussle and bussle of the busy canal side public house. It was here that Near brought Mello that evening to show him his paintings, before the blonde went back to the narrow boat.

Mello could not seem to erase Near from his mind. On every trip, he visited that busy canal side public house.

Inevitably, a passionate and intense love affair blossomed. And Mello, frightened that he would lose his new-found happiness, kept his Nottinghamshire family a well-guarded secret.

Near, however, began to beg Mello to leave the canal.

Matt, realising the depth of his younger brother's feelings for Mello, offered him a place at the public house.

Mello, who's forgotten wife, Halle was beginning to question him about why he was not trying to save money by having the family aboard the narrow boat, felt he was being torn apart. He'd never loved anyone as much as he loved Near. However, the responsibility that fell toward Halle and the girls weighed heavily upon him.

Not brave enough to tell Near the truth, he concocted the story of an extremely ill mother. He would have to care for her during the time she had remaining. He begged Near to wait for him, as he would return.

Then, leaving the sobbing Near on the towpath, he returned to his Nottinghamshire family. He came off the boat and, sorrowfully, returned to the life of an agricultural worker.

That could have been the end of this sad love story, but two years later Mello came chugging back up the canal.

Sadly, his wife, Halle died of sickness and the young girls now lived with an aunt. Mello had returned to the canal.

His heart was light as he came closer to that little, Winchester town. Soon, he would see Near again. How he prayed that he had not found another. That he still loved the blonde as he loved him.

As he moored the boat, he thought about the first time he had met Near. Of how his grey eyes had washed warmly over him.

At that moment, Mello thought he heard Near calling his name. Looking up, he smiled. In the twilight he faintly saw the figure of Near, waving at him.

Mello's smile widened excitedly and he waved and called out to the pale boy, turning back to secure the boat. With his task finished, he turned back but, Near had vanished.

Mello, confused, rushed up to the public house. He was horrified to find it shuttered in darkness.

So, to the cellar he went. He was confident he'd find Near there, waiting for him, paintbrush in hand.

It was Misa who let him in.

Yes, Near had waited for him. Everyday he had gone to the canal to watch to see if Mello's boat would chug around the bend.

Tragically, one night Matt had glanced at his clock to find the time to be 1am. Near still hadn't returned from the canal.

He ran down to the canal, he ran up and down the canal bank shouting the pale boy's name but to no avail.

In the morning, boatmen found his frail, lifeless body floating face-down in the murky water. "He must have slipped" people concluded.

Matt closed the public house. Left the town a broken man.

Mello listened as Misa told him of Near's tragic end in numb silence. It was then that he noticed painted hearts on the wall of the cellar.

One whole.

One broken and bleeding.

Heartbroken, Mello refused to believe that Near was dead. "But I saw him! I saw him tonight, on the towpath!" he screamed at Misa.

Misa wasn't surprised.

To this day, specially at twilight, Near can often been seen on the towpath by the bridge. Small and pale, his eyes fixed on the canal. Watching and waiting for his lover's return.

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End Note: **I loves ghosties! But yeah guys, this is based on a true story that I was reading about earlier and I've just gone really warm all over, save for the tops of my thighs and a small section of my chest, which are freezing! I'm obtaining frost bite on the tops of my thighs and a small section of my chest and first degree burns on every other part of my body, that's not normal! Well, after uploading this, I'm off to bed! It's almost 2am where I am and I got my statistics exam tomorrow! 2 hours in the gym writing about friggin' percentages! But I like math and afterwards I'm going to KFC with my boyfriend, who, after me being obsessively in love him since I first met him 2 years ago, got with me about 4 weeks ago! *SQUEE* Also, I've noticed only about 3 lines of dialogue in this… heh… Reviews are drugs and I'm an addict… feed me?

~Lolita xXx

**EDIT: **I fixed some minor mistakes in this, sorry about them!


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